Middle hoop systems of said type are used for example in articulated buses, in which it is possible for passengers to pass between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part while the vehicle is travelling. To protect the passengers from environmental influences, a bellows is typically provided between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part, which bellows surrounds the vehicle joint.
In articulated vehicles of said type, there are technical functions which relate both to the vehicle front part and also to the vehicle rear part. For example, if the driver, who is seated in the vehicle front part, actuates the headlamp switch, this should also result in a tail lamp of the vehicle rear part being illuminated. To enable this, an electrical cable runs from the vehicle front part via the intermediate space and up to the vehicle rear part. Further functions require for example hydraulic lines, air hoses and other supply lines between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part.
In the meantime, so-called low-floor vehicles have become widely established, in which the floor intended for use by passengers is arranged as low as possible. If the transition between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part is to be formed without a step, only a small amount of space for the vehicle joint remains under the passage connecting the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part. It is known from the prior art for cables guided between the vehicle front part and the vehicle rear part to be arranged not below but rather above the passage (EP 0 897 337). Above the passage, the cables are fastened to the end frame of the vehicle front part, to the end frame of the vehicle rear part and to the middle hoop. In between, the cables have no fixed guide, but are held merely by their inherent stability.